1224 · Mount La Verna, Tuscany, Italy
St. Francis of Assisi Receives the Stigmata
In 1224, while praying on Mount La Verna, Francis of Assisi received the stigmata — the wounds of Christ in his hands, feet, and side — becoming the first recorded person to bear these marks.
By 1224, Francis of Assisi was exhausted. He was in his early forties but his body was broken from years of extreme fasting, travel, and illness. His religious order had grown far beyond his ability to manage it, and he had stepped down from its leadership. He retreated to Mount La Verna, a rocky peak in the Apennines, for a period of prayer and fasting around the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. What happened next was witnessed by no one but Francis himself, and he was reluctant to speak about it. According to Brother Leo, his closest companion, Francis had a vision of a crucified seraph — a six-winged angel bearing the figure of Christ on the cross. When the vision ended, Francis found wounds in his hands and feet and a gash in his side, corresponding to the five wounds of Christ's crucifixion. The wounds bled periodically for the remaining two years of his life. Francis tried to hide them, wrapping his hands in bandages and wearing shoes, which he had previously refused to do. Several brothers saw the wounds before and after his death in 1226, and Pope Gregory IX accepted their reality when he canonized Francis in 1228. The stigmata of Francis set a pattern. Over the centuries, roughly three hundred other Catholics have been reported to bear similar wounds, including Catherine of Siena and Padre Pio. The Church has never required belief in any particular case, but the stigmata have become one of the most striking and debated phenomena in Catholic mystical life. For Francis, the wounds were not a prize. They were a cost. They represented his desire, pursued to an almost frightening degree, to share completely in the suffering of Christ.
Why it matters
The first recorded case of the stigmata, deepening Catholic understanding of mystical participation in Christ's suffering and profoundly shaping the Franciscan spiritual tradition.
What Happened
In September 1224, while fasting and praying on Mount La Verna in the Apennines, Francis of Assisi experienced a vision of a crucified seraph. Afterward, he bore wounds in his hands, feet, and side matching the five wounds of Christ. He attempted to conceal them but was seen by several friars. The wounds persisted until his death on October 3, 1226. Pope Gregory IX accepted their authenticity during Francis's canonization process in 1228.
Why It Still Matters
The stigmata of Francis established a category of mystical experience that has recurred throughout Catholic history. They also became central to Franciscan spirituality and devotion to the Passion of Christ. The Sanctuary of La Verna remains a pilgrimage site today. More broadly, the stigmata raise questions about the relationship between the body and the spiritual life that Catholics continue to think about. The Church takes a careful approach: it investigates claims but does not require belief in any private revelation or mystical phenomenon.